Open source year in review

Last year was a busy one for our open source engineers. In 2019 we released 170 new open source projects, bringing our portfolio to a total of 579 active repositories. While it’s important for our …

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Dmitry Vinnik
•5 min read•intermediate•
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GraphQLJavaScriptPyTorchReact

Overview

The article reviews Facebook's open source contributions in 2019, highlighting the release of 170 new projects and the significant involvement of both internal and external contributors. It emphasizes the growth of the open source community and the importance of collaboration through partnerships and foundations.

What You'll Learn

1

How to leverage external contributions to enhance open source projects

2

Why building a community is crucial for the success of open source initiatives

3

When to utilize frameworks like PyTorch for deep learning applications

4

How to implement mobile optimizations using Hermes for React Native apps

5

How to manage configurations in Python applications using Hydra

Key Questions Answered

What were the key contributions of Facebook to open source in 2019?
In 2019, Facebook released 170 new open source projects, increasing their total to 579 active repositories. They also recorded over 82,000 commits from internal engineers and more than 32,000 changes from approximately 2,500 external contributors.
How did Facebook support the GraphQL community in 2019?
Facebook collaborated with the Linux Foundation to form the GraphQL Foundation, which launched a free online course on building web APIs with GraphQL, expanding its community and audience.
What advancements were made in the PyTorch ecosystem in 2019?
The PyTorch ecosystem expanded significantly, introducing new tools like CrypTen for privacy-preserving machine learning and Captum for model interpretability, enhancing the overall user experience and functionality.
What is the purpose of the Magma platform released by Facebook?
Magma is an open source platform designed to help operators deploy mobile networks efficiently by automating network management tasks such as element configuration and software updates.

Key Statistics & Figures

New open source projects released
170
This contributed to a total of 579 active repositories.
Total commits by internal engineers
82,000
This showcases the active involvement of Facebook's engineers in open source development.
Changes committed by external contributors
32,000
Approximately 2,500 external contributors participated in enhancing Facebook's open source projects.
New stars on projects
93,000
This reflects the growing interest and community engagement in Facebook's open source initiatives.

Technologies & Tools

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Framework
Graphql
Used for building APIs and supported by the GraphQL Foundation.
Machine Learning Framework
Pytorch
An open source deep learning platform developed at Facebook.
Javascript Engine
Hermes
Optimized for mobile apps to improve performance.
Network Management Platform
Magma
Helps operators deploy mobile networks efficiently.
Configuration Management Framework
Hydra
Simplifies the development of Python applications by managing configurations.

Key Actionable Insights

1
Engage with external contributors to enhance your open source projects.
By fostering a community of contributors, you can increase the quality and quantity of contributions, leading to a more robust project and a wider user base.
2
Utilize frameworks like PyTorch to streamline deep learning model deployment.
With tools like PyTorch Mobile, developers can easily deploy models on mobile devices, which is essential as mobile applications become more sophisticated.
3
Implement configuration management using Hydra for Python applications.
Hydra allows developers to manage complex configurations easily, making it simpler to adapt applications to new requirements without altering the codebase.

Common Pitfalls

1
Neglecting to engage with the community can limit the growth of open source projects.
A lack of community involvement can lead to stagnation in contributions and innovation, making it essential to actively foster relationships with both internal and external contributors.